A few aren't - Treacy & Lita as they had no pre season. Jennings - I'm not sure why, to me it looks like he's been pumping iron all summer and he needs to lose the bulk. Digby by the looks of it from last night, who I thought played well in the first half, but really tired in the second, but that's down to lack of first team games and a procession of injuries over the last few years. Bailey was in the same boat as Treacy and Lita but has looked up to speed the last couple of games before suspension. The rest of 'em? I reckon a good way to judge a team's fitness is how many goals they score and concede in the last ten minutes of games. We've scored more than we've conceded in that time. I don't think the team as a whole is that unfit. Against Gillingham, Bradford and York we got stronger and stronger as the game went on. We scored three in the last 10 minutes against MK Dons. Yes, they thought they'd won it and took their foot off the gas, which explains our first, but not the second and the third. If you'd left before the end (don't blame you) let me tell you, they were panicking and out on their feet. Last night we really should have scored towards the end, Cole produced a brilliant bit of skill to get through the defence but from inside the area with only the keeper to beat he put it wide. We've problems as a defensive unit all over the pitch, not just the defence, but I don't believe it's a lack of fitness. I think it's a lack of experience and we're just as likely to concede goals when the players are fresh as when they tired. We looked to be sorting out the defensive side of our game in recent matches, with a clean sheet at Rochdale, limiting Bradford to just one shot on target and losing out to Peterborough by the way of a free kick and an individual error. Last night we were without the experience of Bailey so added the inexperience of Digby and we went to pieces again defensively. I'm not blaming Digby for the defeat, but we have so few experienced players in the side, when we lose one of them it really hurts us.
A few of them could do with a shift darn pit to show them what real graft is ! Oh sorry I forgot there all gone barring a couple.
Sorry Jay, but the lack of experience excuse is wearing thin now, yes it will cost us on some occasions but gross negligence and stupidity is coming into it now . On some occasions we aren't doing the basics right, most of us have played at some level and we all know about tracking back, not standing off and letting crosses go into the box too easily. and I was taught not to piss about with the ball round my own box at primary school
It's not an excuse mate, it's a fact. A lot of our players have very little experience at this level. It's entirely up to you whether or not you will allow for that when judging our performances and whether or not you'll give this team a chance to gain the required experience, but that doesn't change the fact that it's true.
And that's why English defenders are scarce at top level. I think the tiredness is a mental issue in that when we are on top they can all run about, but under pressure they lose a yard.
Not fit enough for me, stands out a mile. We look very lethargic in movement and thought at times, been saying it all season so far and that's nothing to do with age mate. Think Danny needs to sort it quick, these players we have are been out thought and out fought by..........with respect and on the whole, players who are not as good as Barnsley's.
We have got lots of inexperienced players, true. But so have all the sides who've beaten us at Oakwell. And Posh last weekend had lads in their side with very little experience. So I don't buy the excuse. I do though buy the excuse that our lads have been hastily cobbled together and so gelling will always take time/patience. The likes of MK, Swindon, Bristol, Posh, Blunts have had at least a year down here to acclimatize.
3 out of the back 4 last night have loads of experience, as does Turnbull. We need the mental strength to force consistent performances. We have a very soft-core to our team and squad.
Jennings looks like he's been pumping pies down his neck all summer to me. That is one fat waste of space!!
